Blades (An Introduction)

In the video on an introduction to Blades, Skip mentioned an attitude of expecting your opponent to have a bladed weapon (para-phrased). The following story happened today in Toronto and I thought it was an interesting follow-up to the video Skip posted...

A Good Samaritan was stabbed in the neck after standing up to a heckler harassing passengers aboard a TTC subway Wednesday night, police say.

At around 10:20 p.m., the 34-year-old man was on a southbound train near Davisville station when another man began pacing around the car and provoking commuters.

“It appears this guy was just being a jerk to people on the train,” said Staff Sgt. Matt Moyers.

Eventually, the victim stood up and asked the man to stop.

“He was like, ‘Hey listen, enough’s enough,’” Moyers said. “‘C’mon man. Leave these people alone.’”

The assailant reacted by jabbing a knife into the victim’s neck without warning.

“The [knife] clipped a little artery,” said Moyers. “It bled fairly well.”

A passenger assistance alarm was activated and people aboard the train assisted the man as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect managed escape to the scene without being apprehended.

“The weird thing is the guy walked out of the train,” said Moyers. “I thought he would run or bolt.”

Police have released security camera photos of the attacker, and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

He is described as a black male aged 30 to 32, around 6 feet tall with a thin build. He was wearing a black jacket with a hoodie and carrying a white plastic bag.

He is considered to be armed and dangerous.